HOUGHTON – The Nelson Mandela Foundation calls on all South Africans to come walk and run in remembrance of Mandela at the fourth annual Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run.
Minister of Human Settelment, Tokyo Sexwale encourages South Africans to participate in the 2017 Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run.
Photo: Tshepiso Mametela
The curtain to the annual Nelson Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run has once again been raised and will for the first time encompass a long distance run.
The announcement was made at a press briefing at the Nelson Mandela Foundationoffices in Houghton on 15 November.
Chief director of sport and recreation at the Gauteng Provincial government, Ivor Hoff, says it is important to keep the spirit of Mandela’s vision alive. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela
The foundation in conjunction with the Gauteng Provincial government and the City of Tshwane unveiled the introduction of a 10km run to complement the annual 5km walk.
According to the organisers, the addition of the run is targeted at mobilising a broader scope of participation from society.
Minister of Human Settlement, Tokyo Sexwale says the Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run symbolises the life that Mandela led during and after his 27-year prison stay. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela
Last year the event attracted 15 000 participants, however, organisers said they are hoping to attract about 20 000 participants this year.
The event was first held in 2014, not only as a way of examplifying what the former statesman strived for during his life, but as a means of preserving his memory and legacy through sport.
The 2017 Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run – the fourth such edition and the first in a series of Mandela centenary celebrations – will start and end at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 10 December.
Ivor Hoff, Ntuthu Sipambo, Tokyo Sexwale, Carol Tshabalala and Luzuko Koti at the launch of the 2017 Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela
Organisers said this year’s event will act as a precursor to a number of other events that will usher in next year; the year that Mandela would have turned 100 years old.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Human Settlement and former political prisoner, Tokyo Sexwale, who spent 15 years alongside Mandela on Robben Island, said the event is symbolic of the life Mandela lived and what he envisioned for South Africa. “In the name of Madiba, we always strive to remind people of his values in his own long walk to freedom,” said Sexwale.
“This walk – and now run – symbolises a commitment to Madiba’s beliefs and ideals. There comes a time as a country when we have to walk and a time when we have to run.”
Chief director of sport and recreation at the Gauteng Provincial government, Ivor Hoff, believes the Mandela Rembrance Walk and Run helps to create a better South Africa for all. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela
Chief director for sport and recreation at the Gauteng Provincial government, Ivar Hoff, added that it is important to keep the vision and mission of Mandela alive. “This event is part of our approach of ensuring that we remember the life and times of Mandela and keep the spirit of his vision and mission alive around making this the South Africa that we all would love,” Hoff said.
Chief director of sport and recreation at the Gauteng Provincial government, Ivor Hoff and Minister of Human Settelment, Tokyo Sexwale at the 2017 Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run launch at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela
Tickets for 10km run are R100 and tickets for the 5km walk are R50.
Details: Registration forms for the walk and run are available for collection or visit www.nelsonmandela.org for address and online details.
